JD - Vendor Relations Manager (VRM)

Location: Mumbai / Kolkata / Siliguri - On-site | Shift: 4:00 PM - 1:00 AM IST | 3 - 8 years experience

About Ergode

Ergode is a global e-commerce organization serving customers across 120+ countries on 100+ marketplaces. Through Vir Ventures Inc., we work with manufacturers, distributors, and consumer brands worldwide to grow their business across Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and other major channels. Our success depends on onboarding strong vendor partners and building commercially valuable, long-term relationships with them.

Role Purpose

At Ergode, vendor management is a commercial leadership responsibility, not an administrative function. We are looking for someone who combines the analytical thinking of a business analyst, the commercial instincts of a business-development professional, and the communication maturity of a key account manager.

The Vendor Relations Manager is the business and relationship owner for assigned vendor partners - not a coordination, follow-up, or account-servicing role. You will act as a business analyst and commercial advisor for each account: understanding how the vendor makes money, what problems they are facing, what they expect from Ergode, and what Ergode needs from them in return - then using that understanding to find the negotiation and growth levers that work for both sides. The goal is measurable improvement in revenue, margin, assortment, pricing, and commercial terms.

Three Capabilities This Role Combines

- Business analysis - studying vendor performance and identifying commercial opportunities.

- Business development - expanding the relationship and creating additional revenue opportunities.

- Communication & negotiation - communicating credibly, influencing decision-makers, and developing win-win commercial solutions.

What Success Looks Like

- Understands each vendor's business beyond contact details and price lists; has a clear commercial strategy for every major account.

- Secures improved pricing, terms, rebates, assortment, and operational cooperation.

- Builds trust with decision-makers while protecting Ergode's commercial interests - never lets relationships go passive or transactional.

- Resolves disagreements through counter proposals, not simple acceptance or rejection.

- Expands relationships over time through new products, channels, and geographies.

Core Responsibilities

- Understand the Vendor's Business: Develop deep knowledge of each vendor's model, products, competitors, and strategic priorities. Identify key decision-makers, where they have excess capacity or growth ambitions, and maintain a documented account strategy for every major vendor.

- Serve as the Vendor's Business Analyst: Analyze performance by SKU, category, and geography, benchmarked against competitors. Translate data into clear recommendations - shared with the vendor directly, not just filed internally.

- Develop a Vendor Growth Strategy: Build a structured growth plan per strategic vendor - pricing, rebates, incentive programs, payment terms, freight support, inventory commitments, marketplace authorization, geographic expansion, exclusivity, promotional participation, returns support, and new distribution opportunities - prioritized by value and feasibility.

- Own Commercial Negotiations: Lead negotiations using facts and history. Develop SKU-wise counter proposals instead of cold rejection or blanket acceptance. Know when to hold firm, compromise, or escalate.

- Build Strong Vendor Relationships: Develop trusted relationships with owners, senior leaders, and operational stakeholders. Run structured business reviews, communicate difficult messages clearly, and maintain the relationship even through disagreement.

- Drive Business Development Within Accounts: Treat every account as a continuing BD opportunity - expand assortment, channels, and territories; identify new brands or divisions and seek introductions to additional decision-makers within the vendor's org.

- Coordinate Internal Execution: Work with pricing, procurement, supply chain, catalog, and finance to ensure agreed terms are implemented. Resolve internal bottlenecks and escalate commercial or relationship risks promptly.

- Manage Vendor Performance & Risk: Track revenue, profitability, inventory, and service levels. Flag early signs of decline, reduce dependency risk from vendor concentration, and ensure compliance with marketplace, legal, and documentation requirements.

- Use Data, CRM & AI Effectively: Maintain accurate pipelines and account notes in CRM. Use Excel / dashboards for analysis and AI tools for research, prep, and automating routine reporting.

Key Performance Indicators

- Revenue growth and contribution margin improvement from assigned vendors

- Growth from existing vendor accounts; improved cost pricing, commercial terms, and rebates / incentives secured

- Assortment expansion; new channels, marketplaces, or geographies activated

- Recovery of declining or inactive vendor relationships; vendor retention and responsiveness

- Reduction in excess or aged inventory; improved payment terms

- Number and value of commercial opportunities identified; % of negotiations resulting in improved outcomes

- Timely implementation of vendor agreements; accuracy and completeness of CRM records

Candidate Profile

- 3 - 8 years in vendor management, key account management, business development, category management, procurement, sales, or commercial operations.

- Strong business-analysis capability and commercial judgment; comfortable with revenue, pricing, margins, rebates, inventory, and ROI.

- Excellent written and verbal English; demonstrated experience managing senior external stakeholders.

- Strong negotiation and influencing skills - able to build relationships while holding firm commercial positions.

- Experience independently managing and growing accounts, converting data into practical commercial actions.

- Comfortable working an evening / night shift aligned with US business hours.

Preferred Experience

- E-commerce, retail, marketplaces, consumer brands, distribution, or supply chain background.

- Exposure to Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Shopify, or similar marketplaces.

- Experience with vendor pricing, rebates, procurement terms, or channel expansion.

- CRM familiarity (HubSpot, Zoho, Salesforce) and strong Excel / Google Sheets proficiency.

- Experience running quarterly / annual business reviews; applied use of AI tools for analysis and workflow automation.